“Hey Google, go to sleep.” The lights in the single-room apartment went out immediately at the hoarse command of Moon Byulyi, curling on her side in her bed. Soon, she felt familiar arms encircling her as Kim Yongsun buried her face into her back automatically, carefully not to breathe into her sensitive skin at the back of her neck. The older woman spooned against her closely, entangling their limbs intimately.

“Goodnight, Byul,” whispered Yongsun softly, smiling into the back of her neck after she swept her blonde hair aside so that it won’t tickle her nose. She pressed herself flushed against her, encircling her arms around her. The rapper was so thin that she desired to take her out for more meals just to ensured that she was well-fed.

Byulyi lifted her head slightly and turned to face Yongsun. “Goodnight, Yong.” Despite the lack of light, she could see the older woman looking fondly at her, through half-lidded eyes. Yongsun’s hand ran up and down her bare arm soothingly, it was a gesture so calming that she started to feel drowsy.

“Byul,” prompted Yongsun softly, her grip over Byulyi relaxing marginally.

“Hm?” Byulyi spun to face her completely as she shifted into a more comfortable position to look at the woman in her bed. Yongsun’s hand slid to hold her hand gently.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” decided the dark-haired beauty finally. She extended her hand to touch her brow before she kneaded the furrow out from them gently. It was a soothing gesture so affectionate that it made the rapper’s heart skip a beat. “It’s not a mistake,” asserted the older woman, shifting closer so that she could peer deeply into her eyes. She traced her relaxed brow down the unbroken bridge of her nose in a feathery caress to its slightly upturned tip. Byulyi’s nose crinkled, finding her touch ticklish, earning a faint smile from Yongsun. Her finger drifted down her nose to the pinch of skin above her Sakura-shaped top lip. “I…I didn’t expect things to escalate so quickly,” admitted the dark-haired beauty earnestly.

“You mean spiral, Yong?” remarked Byulyi in a whisper dryly. The older woman pressed her index finger over her soft lips, hushing her as she gazed intensely into her eyes.

“Escalate,” amended the older woman in a hushed voice. She fell silent suddenly, choosing to allow her gaze to linger on the beautiful woman in bed with her. Her heart swelled with happiness that she was sharing this private space with her. “Byul, I hate that I am going to be very selfish,” admitted she finally, biting her bottom lip contemplatively.

Byulyi reached for the lip between her teeth and released it, kneading it gently with an index finger. “Tell me, Yong.” Her eyes gleamed with support.

“I want you,” gushed Yongsun quickly, without missing a beat. “It will hurt you though.” She cupped her cheek with a hand, scowled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Ah. She saw the paradox immediately.

“Will the hurt be worse than what I have experienced?” asked Byulyi, sounding poignant.

“Will you be able to stand the sight of me acting as if I am in love with another person?” asked the older woman, caressing her cheek with the back of her hand languidly.

“Will it hurt you more to act in love with another person?” returned Byulyi instantly. “I can’t imagine if I were in your shoes. It will devastate me to pretend to be in love with another person.” She her soft and dark hair softly. “And only to shower my love to the one who owns my heart in secret.” She ran her hand through her hair rhythmically. A flicker of contemplation appeared in her eyes, wondering if that term ‘the one who owns my heart’ applied to her.

Yongsun nodded at her imperceptivity, affirming the fact that Byulyi had indeed possessed her heart. She did not know how long she had felt that way for the rapper, only that she did.

“Will it hurt you more? I can’t imagine if I were in your shoes. It will hurt me to watch the one responsible for my racing heart pretending to be in love with another person. It will kill me to act that I am thrilled by it.” Byulyi’s placid caress paused mid-. Yongsun took her hand and pressed it against her smooth cheek firmly. She turned to kiss the heart of her palm longingly. “I think the agony would be tenfold if I am losing this.” She dropped another delicate kiss on her palm.

Byulyi only sighed, soul-weary. “I guess that’s why you chose wisely to be in WGM, at least the ache wouldn’t kill us,” concluded the blonde woman wryly. She rolled to her back, putting some distance between them. Yongsun chased after her and lay her head on her chest. Byulyi placed an arm around her, holding the older woman close and slipped the other arm behind her neck as she pondered over her question.

Yongsun did not want to push the younger woman into an answer. The singer pressed her cheek into her chest, listening to her calming heartbeat. Never had she craved to be so close to another individual. She did not even think that this was close enough for her. She placed a finger on her chest, tracing absent shapes on her corgi-printed pyjama top. Her eyelids were getting heavier, soothed by her warmth and the steady beating of her heart. She felt the taller woman leaned in to press her lips against her forehead as she squeezed her shoulder affectionately. She blinked continuously, alert.

“I don’t need to think to know it will be living hell if I lost this,” replied Byulyi finally, her guttural whisper shattering the comfortable silence that enveloped them. She squeezed her muscular shoulder again. “Yong, I just don’t want things to go south. Beyond our personal relationship, we’re in the same idol group. Our kids depend on us. Our company depend on us. Moomoo loves us—” Yongsun pressed a finger on her lip, silencing her.

“I’m not Chohee, Byul.” She let her words sink into the taller woman. Byulyi’s brows furrowed slightly as she held her gaze, perplexed. It took a while for the rapper to comprehend that Yongsun would never use her the same way that former friend did. “This is very much new to me too,” admitted Yongsun reticently, averting her gaze from her penetrating stare. “I know how entwined every aspects of our lives are.” Her eyes fell on an adorable print of Corgi and she outlined it with a finger. “For a while, I thought that I feel this way about you because of our shared experiences; there isn’t anyone who will understand me as well as you do. I wanted these feelings to go away but they just get stronger each day,” confessed Yongsun earnestly.

Byulyi could feel the older woman tensing at being completely vulnerable with her. She knew that it was Yongsun way of equalising their relationship after she had been encouraged to be fully transparent with her.

“Byul,” spoke Yongsun, steel in her voice. “That’s just our fears speaking to us: the fear that things will go south, the fear that we’ll hurt each other too irreparably, the fear that we can’t be professional, the fear that we’ll jeopardise our camaraderie of MAMAMOO, the fear that we will disappoint others by being selfish. Byul, I understand that.” She placed a hand on her heart. “It weighs on me more as the leader of MAMAMOO.”

“I don’t mean that you’re ignoring the duties as a leader, Yong. I haven’t told you enough but you’re an exceptionally good leader,” affirmed Byulyi, squeezing her shoulder affectionately. “The kids and I love you.” The rapper did not want her leader to think for a moment that she was not good enough: she took good care of every member of MAMAMOO.

Yongsun gulped before she realised that Byulyi did not confess to her. She had merely expressed her support for her as a member of MAMAMOO. “Thank you, Byul. I appreciate your affirmation. That’s not the point.” Her lips thinned marginally. “For a moment, I thought you... you know.” Her voice became coy as she buried her face into her chest.

Byulyi chuckled huskily. “It’s a fact. The kids and I love you—”

Her heart skipped a beat at her teasing. She smacked her chest as the rapper continued to laugh, her chest vibrating with her chuckles. Yongsun sighed. She wanted the rapper to be in love with her. After that brief kiss that they had shared, that yearning had never been stronger.“This whole WGM is just a fabricated fairy-tale served on a silver platter to a hungry audience who wants to believe in the beauty of romance. It’s artificial but at least I learn what I want for the foreseeable future.”

“And what is it that you want for the foreseeable future?” encouraged Byulyi softly, staring into her eyes attentively. Her question harboured so much hope and dread.

Yongsun’s heart ached.

“You. Any form of you that you’re secured in giving me,” decided Yongsun, sounding so brave and vulnerable at the same time. Her solemn tone rang with the unspoken pledge that she would cherish that part of her immeasurably.

Byulyi chuckled hoarsely, her chest vibrating again. Her heart was also racing at her heartfelt confession. “Gosh. Yong, you’ll kill me someday,” concluded the rapper, shaking her head lightly.

The older woman did not know how to respond to her answer, choosing to wait if Byulyi would continue expounding on her thoughts. The rapper fell silent again, not doubt brooding. Yongsun snuggled into her chest, wrapping her thin arms around her. “Just sleep, Byul.” She dropped a kiss before sinking her cheek on her chest. Her thumping heartbeat was lulling her gradually like a lullaby. “We need a good sleep. Neither of us slept last night.” She let a yawn before she snuggled against her again. “Everything else is not important at the moment.”

Byulyi laughed, amused. That was true. The blonde woman kissed the top of her head before burying her face into her hair to inhale that intoxicating and soothing scent of Yongsun and her shampoo. Absently, she noted that she adored her scent on her. Maybe she was too hasty in calling Yongsun out when she whined about the scent of others on her. Her heart overflowed with warmth at Yongsun’s respectfulness, she was giving her space instead of pushing her into a decision. This was so different from her other suitors. She closed her eyes, relishing the sense of security that cocooned them. It was these little actions of the dark-haired beauty that enabled her to trust her fully, every dark, dreadful, deep part of her. The comforting weight of her on her chest coupled with her cocktail of scent coaxed her into deep slumber.

Their slumber was interrupted by a piercing alarm that resonated loudly in the apartment. Yongsun let out a snore and snuggled closer to Byulyi as the taller woman cracked her eyes open languorously. Ah, the damn alarm! She needed to turn it off. Yongsun had completely immobilised her by clutching on her like a giant red-and-white-striped octopus. Byulyi wiggled in bed but she could not even break out from her possessive hold: did this woman think that she would run away from her in the middle of the night? “Yong!” yelled Byulyi, trying to squirm an arm out of her gasp to turn off the deafening alarm. “Yong!” shouted Byulyi as she tried to yank her arm from her hold with all her strength. “Damn.” Her cheeks flushed from her grimace as she strained her muscles in escaping from Yongsun’s deathly hold. What other methods could she use to wake this sleeping log up? She studied the sleeping woman carefully, watching the drool on the side of her lip. All the movement she was allowed was the turning of her head. Byulyi wiggled into a sitting position, with the sleeping Yongsun still attached to her. The covers pooled to settle around them. “You’re a work for my core muscles, Yong,” complained the rapper, during the squealing alarm. She tried to reach for the alarm and failed again. “Damn it, Unnie. Hey Google, lights hundred percent.”

The lights in her apartments came on instantly. It was so piercing that she also squinted.

Yongsun stirred a little, frowning hard. She was obviously annoyed by the external stimulus.

“Kim Yongsun,” growled Byulyi leaning into her ear. “Wake up!”

“Give me one more second, “muttered the dark-haired beauty, lolling her head to a comfortable position.

Byulyi shook her herself hard, trying to awake the older woman. She leaned into her ear and yelled “OK. Can you just let go of me, Yong?”

Instead of allowing her to go, the older woman snuggled even closer against her scrawny frame, as if she wanted to a part of her. The dark-haired beauty dropped her head on her shoulder, her hair hiding her face. Suddenly, she slid her arm downwards—an opportunity.

Byulyi yanked her arm away and reached for the alarm and silenced it with a loud ‘smack’. “Finally,” breathed the rapper, relieved. Gosh, this was tiring. She freed her other hand carefully and tried to pry the older woman from her.

The older woman let out another annoyed whine before grabbing her again.

“I am not your Ryan, Kim Yongsun,” whined the tired rapper, pressing the heart of her palm to her eyes. “Seriously, you leave me with no choice, Yong.” Byulyi pinched her nose shut and waited for her natural reaction. Initially, the older woman tried to bat her hand off, but the rapper held on to her nose, not laxing in her punishing grip.

By the third second, her eyes shot open, blearily, as she gasped for breath. She threw her hands out instinctively to defend herself. Byulyi, expecting it, leaned back to avoid her swinging fists of rage.

She shielded her eyes with a hand. “Why is it so bright?” thundered Yongsun. She blinked several times as she adjusted to the environment. “Why am I sitting up?” The dark-haired woman studied her position and noticed that she was on Byulyi’s lap, straddling her hip intimately. Her cheeks dusted pink as she ducked her head. What did she do to Byul in her sleep?

Finally!

The gangly woman shoved her out of her lap unceremoniously as she clambered out of the bed tiredly. She stretched her muscles, easing some of the ache. “You owe me a massage, Yong,” bellyached Byulyi, frowning. “We don’t have time for breakfast now.”

Yongsun stared at the grumbling rapper upside-down, as she sprawled on her back, her head dangling off the bottom of the bed. Her body was entangled with the covers. Confusion was written all over her face as she stared at the rapper.

What was going on?

“Hey Google, lights at 50 percent. BoA playlist on. Volume 20 percent.” Irritation laced her voice as she padded towards the toilet, scratching her stomach. “We have twenty minutes to get ready, Unnie.” She headed to the toilet to start her ablutions.

Twenty minutes?

Soon, Yongsun could hear the showers starting despite the music. Ah, she needed to get out of bed and find an outfit. She made the bed quickly and initiated the mechanism to open the walk-in cabinet. Today was going to be an interesting day since their day would end with their first performance on the Immortal songs 2. Since it was their first performance, Manager-nim had set aside the entire day for them to practise for the filming. Her spirit soared. She was going to spend all her time with her group today. That thought made her grin as she selected a comfortable outfit for the younger woman. She walked to the door of the toilet and knocked on her door.

“I picked out something for you to wear, Byul.”

There was a brief pause. “It’s unlocked, just come in,” announced the rapper as her shower ended.

Yongsun brought her clothes into the toilet and was treated to the sight of Byuyi wearing only a towel. Her flawless and beautiful shoulders were left completely exposed, with wet droplet from the moisture of the hair. There were goosebumps on her skin, a sign that she had just showered with cold water. Yongsun stood there like a statue, eying the delicious spread of her collarbone and her porcelain-fair skin. She took a step forward instinctively, wishing to sink her teeth into her exposed flesh and mark her. A towel fell on her head, covering that sinful but magnificent sight of Byulyi. Yongsun blinked in surprise, before she removed it quickly. “What—”

“Morning, ert,” greeted Byulyi flatly, her cheeks dusted pink. “Stop eying me like a piece of meat.” She grabbed her clothes from her arms. “Unnie, you better hurry. We need to get ready for work. Keep it unlock, I need to put on my makeup—”

“Then change here, Byul,” returned Yongsun, grinning wildly at her. She hung her outfit up so that she could change after showering. “It’s not like I haven’t seen—” She waggled her brow at her as she her lip hungrily.

Byulyi rolled her eyes at her, backing away from her slightly so that she would not undress her. “Sorry, not going to fuel your imagination.” She brushed past the laughing woman as she closed the door behind her. The blond shook her head lightly. “Who is the real ert, seriously.” She changed into the comfortable outfit of an oversized shirt matched with black sweatpants, something she appreciated. She overheated easily so she preferred lighter clothing.

She waited until the shower started again before she slipped into the toilet to place the finishing touches to her appearance. Byulyi trained her gaze on the mirror, refusing to give in the temptation of ogling at the beautiful woman using her shower. Yongsun did not seemed to mind her presence. Her heart palpitated, knowing that Yongsun was completely undressed. It took her slightly longer before she had finished drying her hair and putting on light makeup.

The tension in the toilet was so thick that it was palpable. She hurried out of the toilet as if hounds were after her to her kitchenette. They did not have a lot of time before Manager-nim would fetch them. She made them two cups of Mocha latte and fished out her vitamins. She tapped her foot absently when she stared at her daily vitamins, frowning. Soon, she would have to stock with those that Yongsun took, just in case of nights like this.

Byulyi checked the time again, finishing her cup of coffee in a gulp before pouring Yongsun’s cup into a thermos and stowing it in her bag. She texted the kids hastily as she picked a pair of sneakers to enhance her outfit.

Then, the shiny new ring on the cabinet caught Byulyi’s attention for a while. She closed her distance between it as she reached it to pick it up. The wedding ring of Solar-ssi. It was a simple metal band with no embellishments, a prop. She slipped it into Yongsun’s bag, knowing that the older woman would have forgotten about it.

Yongsun soon stepped out of the toilet, fully dressed and ready for the day. Her gaze softened when she spotted the rapper staring hard at her bag. She did not hesitate and hooked her arms around her neck, gaining her full attention. She stared keenly into her eyes. “Morning, Byul.”

“You look good in my sweats, Yong,” complimented the rapper, her eyes gleaming with affection as she slid her hand to the outside of her hips and rested them there.

The older woman tapped her lips with a finger. “You haven’t kissed me good morning, Byul.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Huh? Why? I don’t kiss you good morning.” She scratched the side of her face.

The older woman sulked and hit her on the chest. The pouting was replaced by a contemplative look as she tapped her bottom lip with a finger continuously. “It’s OK, Byul. It shall be my new habit then.” Her eyes flickered with mischief as she pulled the lanky woman into her arms and kissed her firmly on her soft, pink lips. The older woman smiled cheekily into the kiss as she drew away to study the reaction of the rapper.

The rapper was astounded, her hand on her lips.

“Now, it’s a good morning.” Her smile was like the sunrise, sending Byulyi’s heart flying.

Byulyi chuckled, amused. Her Indian dimples deepening cutely. She stepped in to tidy her brown hair carefully. “My greasiness is rubbing off you, Yong.” She pecked her lips sweetly. “It’s a nice look on you,” smirked the rapper mischievously as she ran her hand through her hair to straighten it. “I made you coffee, Unnie. No breakfast in bed. We’ll need to leave soon.”

Yongsun pouted as she smacked her arm without putting any strength into it, throwing a child-like tantrum. “Do we have to?”

“Yes. Our alpha puppy is quite ferocious when it comes to punctuality,” deadpanned Byulyi, grabbed their bags as they put on their footwear. “It will be fun. It’s our first performance at The Immortal Songs 2.” She tugged at the back of her sneakers to straightened it. She withdrew the thermos and handed it to the grumpy singer to keep her occupied. Her mobile blared loudly, a signal that they needed to leave immediately for work.

The two women trooped to the lobby quietly. It didn’t feel as if things between them had changed despite their heartfelt conversation in the morning. Byulyi realised that she still owned Yongsun an answer. She glanced at the older woman sipping her coffee from the corner of her eye hesitantly. Suddenly, the older woman held her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. She lowered her thermos, meeting her timid gaze directly. She gave her a consoling and knowing smile.

The tension from Byulyi’s shoulder faded and she returned a gentle smile to the woman who owned her heart. Manager-nim was waiting for them when they reached the lobby. He smiled warmly at them, noting that they looked well-rested. The two idols headed to the back of the van, leaving the middle seats for their kids.

Yongsun lay her head against her shoulder, getting comfortable for the ride.

“Don’t grab me like an octopus again, Unnie,” warned the rapper slipping her shades on so that she could also grab a kip.

Yongsun’s brow skyrocketed. “Was that what happened in the morning?” Her face was reflected to her through the lens of the shades.

Byulyi snorted. “Are you a pro brawler? I couldn’t break your grip and my alarm could not wake you up either.”

“Huh.” Her answer was noncommittal as the leader tapped on her lip absently. She did not have a habit of clinging to others when she shared a bed with others. In fact, she usually slept like a log, so she was a bit stunned by Byulyi’s comments. Her mind backpedalled to the morning: she was on the lap of Byulyi, hanging on her.

Byulyi rested her head against the side of her head tiredly. “Doesn’t matter, Unnie. What’s more important is that we’re awake and in time for work.” She turned her face to inhale the refreshing scent of her shampoo on her hair and allowed that to sooth her to sleep. Yongsun nuzzled against her neck affectionately, burrowing into her as she joined her for a quick kip.

The rapper blinked awake when the kids climbed into the ride and greeted them cheerfully. They snickered, sharing a look between them when they caught the sight of their Unnies snuggling each other. They waved breakfast in front of her happily.

The dimple on Wheein’s face deepened as she smiled, proud of her efforts.

“Ah, you got my message,” smiled Byulyi, delighted, as she removed the shades with her hand before taking the bag of food from them. “We didn’t have time for breakfast because it took a long time to wake this one up.” Her voice softened with fondness as she stared at woman lying on her arm. She kept her movements limited so that she wouldn’t wake the sleeping leader.

Hyejin smiled, ruffling her short and blonde hair absently. She glanced at Yongsun’s clothes, noticing that it belonged to Byulyi. “Ah, Unnie didn’t go home last night?”

The rapper inclined her head. “She followed me home.” She gave an exasperated look.

“Unnie, you should be nice to Yongsun-unnie and head over to her apartment instead,” prompted Wheein, strapping herself in. “I don’t think she has been home for a while.”

The rapper inclined her head, picking up a package of food. “Right, Unnie had filming two nights ago. I haven’t been into her apartment since she moved for WGM. Anyway, I didn’t ask her to follow me home.”

Hyejin gave her an arched look. “Did you really think that Unnie would have left you alone, Unnie?”

Byulyi scratched her chin absently. “Fair point.” She accepted that as a fact. A night of missing in action due to binge drinking—of course, the older woman would not let her go home alone. The old